BA : Breastfeeding is convenient.
Me : Depends.

BAs tell you that breastfeeding is convenient because you don't have to keep washing and sterilising bottles and you don't have to bring do many things out when you go out.  The reality is that you may still do a fair bit of washing up and sterilising if you express a lot.  When you are out, there very few places with nursing rooms for you to breastfeed.  OK, there are some gung-ho type who have no qualms about breastfeeding in public.  But I assume that you don't want to breastfeed in a place where there are a lot of people around you who will stare at you. [Singaporeans can be pretty rude at times.  They like to stare at anything strange, and at the moment, breastfeeding in public is still considered a strange act by many.]  You probably prefer to find a quiet corner in a cafe (not a crowded food court), or shopping mall.  Not all shopping malls have sitting area in quiet corners.  What I am trying to say is that it can be difficult finding a suitable place to breastfeed.

If you are thinking of bringing expressed breast milk (EBM) out, remember that EBM does not last for more than a couple of hours if not refrigerated.  This means that either you have to bring your EBM out in ice packs - same inconvenience as bringing formula out -  or you have to feed your baby real soon, which means you cannot be out for long.  So isn't bring formula more convenient compared to this?

You can forget about people helping you to take care of your baby during your confinement because you are the only who can feed your baby and feeding is the bulk of the work.  Even expressing is a work to be done by you.  Clearly this is not as convenient as if you were to feed your baby formula.  And if you are stuck in a situation like mine, where you baby refuses the bottle, then wherever you go, your baby has to go as well, and vice versa.  You become like a marsupial. 

Having said all that, breastfeeding is convenient if you have the right gear (sarong sling, nursing wear, etc) and if you are brave enough to not look for a lot of privacy to breastfeed in public.  It is convenient in a lot of circumstance.  E.g. when Dominic was hospitalised, I was so thankful that I was breastfeeding him and didn't have worry about the bottles and formula.  When I brought him to the US, I didn't have to lug milk powder along.  In fact, I didn't have to lug bottles and powder and hot water anywhere!

Conclusion : More convenience vs inconvenience.  But that does not mean absolutely no inconvenience.